During the winter months, keeping your house warm and comfortable is a priority for a lot of people. However, unless money is no object for you, it is not simply a case of turning your heating up, leaving it on, and turning it off again when it suits you.
Finding a balance between keeping your home warm and keeping costs manageable can be difficult, and there are differing views on which heating methods are more cost effective.
Turning It On As & When
British Gas and the Energy Saving Trust are supporters of the theory that you should turn your heating on as and when you need it, rather than keeping it on 24 hours a day. Putting your thermostat on a timer can be a very efficient way of heating your home, as you can set it to switch on and off at times when you know you’ll need heat the most.
However, the downside of this is that it can take a while for homes to heat up, especially larger ones. So although you are using your heating efficiently, you also may find yourself cold for longer than necessary.
Also, a point about this method is that when heating is turned down or turned off completely, there will be a greater likelihood of condensation forming, which can actually conduct heat from outside to inside.
Having It On 24/7
Another popular theory is that leaving your heating on 24/7 is actually more energy efficient, as it is claimed that it uses less energy than starting up your heating several times a day. You can put your boiler on a low setting and your radiators on a high setting to generate heat without using excessive amounts of energy.
A study conducted by the Telegraph lead to over 160 people saying their energy consumption had decreased after they had adopted this method.
So it seems that the ‘myth’ that leaving your heating on a constant low temperature is not actually a myth, but rather a sensible option for those who want to save on energy bills but don’t want to have to wait for their house to heat up every morning and evening.
It must be noted that these methods are not rigid rules, but guidelines for how you may save on energy costs when heating your house. Each house differs in size, and your location may also have quite an impact on how much or little you need to use your heating.
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If you feel like you are not getting the most out of your boiler system, or you feel like it may have a heating fault in need of repair, Village Heating Ltd are the type of people you should consider giving a call.
We have been serving the London area for over 25 years, and have a team of fully qualified and accredited heating professionals who provide the best possible solution (whether by means of skill & knowledge, or equipment) to your problem.